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of Thursday���s practice. ���But the execution after four days off, sometimes suffers a little bit. But we���ll have a couple practices in Dallas that should ease that easily.��� News & Notes Bolden Ready; Injury Updates Running back Ralph Bolden has been adamant that he���ll be able to play in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on New Year���s Day. And it appears he might. The senior has been nursing a sore hamstring, suffered in the second-to-last week of the season, then re-aggravated early in bowl preparations. But he���s doing better now. ���He���s been out running around at practice and doing things full speed,��� interim head coach Patrick Higgins said before Purdue broke for the holiday break. ���We���ve just been trying to limit the amount of volume that he has. I think if we had to play this weekend, he���d be ready to go.��� Tight end Gabe Holmes also says he���ll be able to play after he missed the last two-and-a-half games with a rib injury. But Purdue has other injury concerns. Backup defensive tackle Brandon Taylor, who has been out with a high ankle sprain, hasn���t practiced much, if at all, during the bowl preparations. Perhaps more significant, however, is an injury to starting linebacker Sean Robinson. The sophomore has been out since suffering an injury early in bowl practices, and he���d seem questionable to play vs. Oklahoma State. Will Lucas likely would start in Robinson���s place. Short Named All-American Tom Campbell Running back Ralph Bolden, shown here in warmups for the Bucket game, is expected to play vs. Oklahoma State after missing the IU game because of a hamstring injury. Ike Quits Team Kugler���s Dad Takes UTEP Job Kingsley Ike has quit the football Right guard Robert Kugler���s dad, Sean team. Ike, a freshman defensive lineman Kugler, was named the head coach at from Texas, was redshirting this season. UTEP earlier this month. Sean Kugler, who was an assistant at Nord Still Recovering UTEP from 1993-2000, is the offensive line Offensive coordinator Gary Nord is coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose unlikely to make the trip to Dallas due to season will end on Sunday. his back injury. Sean Kugler was formally introduced Nord was injured before the Iowa as the head of the Miners��� program at a game and was replaced as Purdue���s play- press conference in El Paso on Dec. 10. caller by wide receivers coach Patrick Hig���It���s awesome, a good deal for him,��� gins for the final three games. Robert Kugler said. ���I���ve always wanted Nord already has undergone multiple him to be a good head coach. It���ll be excitsurgeries and was expecting to have an- ing to watch him go.��� other toward the end of the year. ��� Gold and Black Staff Defensive tackle Kawann Short was named second-team Associated Press AllAmerican. The senior finished the regular season at Purdue with 42 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, four pass breakups, four blocked kicks, two fumbles recovered and one forced. ���It���s awesome,��� Higgins said. ���Those are simple thoughts. I don���t have a lot of productive thoughts in my head to begin with, but when they say, ���Hey, KK gets second-team AP All-American,��� that���s awesome. The kid worked hard, and he���s a great kid. ��� You���re just happy for someone like that.��� Fellow defensive tackle Bruce Gaston said he was happy for Short but thought he should have been first team. ���I���m proud of him,��� Gaston said. ���He���s a great guy. He���s much older than me, an old man. I look up to him, though. He was my recruit host. I���m going to be sad to see him leave, but we���re going to try to get him this win, his last win for Purdue.��� Short is Purdue���s first All-American since Ryan Kerrigan, who was an unanimous first-team pick in 2010. Grades In, Up For Boilers Not only are Purdue���s grades in, but GoldanDBlack express ��� volume 23, express 15��� ������ 21